Portulaca plant named ‘Summer Joy Orange’

ABSTRACT

Portulaca ‘Summer Joy Orange’ is a new variety of  Portulaca oleracea . This plant has a vigorous, spreading plant growth which produces large, orange flowers having a red center.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

This invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Portulacaplant, hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Summer Joy Orange’.Portulaca ‘Summer Joy Orange’ is a new variety of Portulaca oleracea.The plant has a vigorous spreading growth habit and can be used as agroundcover. It can also be used in a potted or hanging basketpresentation. The invention's flowers are orange (RHS 24A) with a red(RHS 42A) center. The flowers are single and measure 5.1 to 5.6centimeters in diameter when fully open. There are five distinct petalswith an indent a the tip of each petal. Portulaca flowers will typicallyclose under low light and low temperature conditions such as late in theday and at night. ‘Summer Joy Orange’ Portulaca flowers will stay openlater into the evening than most other cultivated varieties. The plantperforms well in hot and dry climates. The plant is very resistant torain, heat and drought.

ORIGIN AND ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION

The new cultivar is propagated asexually from vegetative cuttings. Theasexual reproduction establishes that the plant does in fact maintainthe characteristics described in successive generations. ‘Summer JoyOrange’ has been reproduced by stem cuttings in Salinas, Calif., and allof the characteristics thereof have been determined to be firmly fixed.

‘Summer Joy Orange’ originated from a hybridization made by the inventorHiromi Matsukizono in Japan. The female parent is a commercial varietyknown as ‘Yubi® Apricot’, an unpatented variety of Portulaca and themale parent was a commercial variety known as ‘Yubi® Yellow’. Theinitial cross-pollination of the parents, resulting in F₁ generationseed, was made in June, 1991. In February, 1992, the F₁ seed was sown.From these plants, three plants were selected for appealing flowercolor. In June through September of 1992 the three selected plant lineswere vegetatively propagated and tested for easy reproducibility andstability of traits. One of these three plant lines was hence selectedfor orange flower color, large flower size and easy propagation. InFebruary, 1997, cuttings of this plant line were sent to California.During the spring and summer of 1997 and 1998, plants were grown underthe direction and supervision of the inventor for evaluation of thestability of the line's desired traits. Plants were evaluated ingreenhouse pots at the research station at Salinas, Calif., and at thebreeding station in Kakegawa, Japan. The invention, ‘Summer Joy Orange’Portulaca, was determined by the inventor to have its characteristics,as herein described, firmly fixed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings serve by color photographic means toillustrate the new plant variety, ‘Summer Joy Orange’. The colors arerepresented as true as possible using conventional photographicprocedures.

FIG. 1 is a close-up view of a ‘Summer Joy Orange’ flower illustratingits color and shape.

FIG. 2 is a view of the new cultivar after growing in a greenhouse for 8to 10 weeks in a six-inch diameter pot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following description is based on observations and measurements from14-16 week old plants grown in six-inch pots at Salinas, Calif. Theseplants were grown in plastic pots containing a peat moss-based medium.The plants were grown in the greenhouse under full sunlight in Salinas,Calif. Night temperatues ranged from 16° C. to 21° C. and daytemperatures ranged from 24° C. to 35° C. The soil was not allowed tostay saturated but the plants were irrigated when the soil began to dry,or every second or third day. Soluble fertilizer was applied through anoverhead irrigation system. The fertilizer contained 18% nitrogen, 8%phosphorus and 18% potassium. Every fourth irrigation was done withnon-fertilizer water. Color designations were made according to TheRoyal Horticultural Society Colour Chart published by The RoyalHorticultural Society of London, England.

Origin: Japan.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Yubi® Apricot (not patented).

Male parent.—Yubi® Yellow (not patented).

Classification:

Family.—Portulacaceae.

Genus.—Portulaca.

Species.—Oleracea.

Commercial.—Portulaca/Purslane ‘Summer Joy Orange’.

Plant:

Growth habit.—Prostrate.

Plant height.—7 cm.

Spreading area of plant.—60-80 cm (in a six-inch pot).

Vigor.—The plant is most vigorous at high temperatures.

Time to initiate/develop roots.—Vegetative cuttings root in 7-10 daysafter placing into a rooting medium such as a peat moss-based mixture.The cuttings will form roots without the use of overhead mist.

Stem:

Thickness.—2.4 mm.

Color.—Yellowish green (146C) with red-purple (60A) anthocyanin pigmentpresent in the axial portion of the stem.

Pubescence.—Present only at the nodes.

Branching.—Abundant.

Length of Internode.—5-15 mm.

Leaf:

Shape.—Oblanceolate with cuspidante tip in mature leaves and acute tipsin younger leaves near the apex of the stem.

Length (average).—2.6 cm.

Width (average).—1.3 cm.

Thickness.—1.4 mm.

Color.—Upper leaf surface is green RHS 137A and the lower surface isgreen (137C) with red-purple (60A) anthocyanin present at the edge.

Pubescence.—None.

Texture.—Leaf surface is smooth, shiny and wax-like. Leaves are thickand fleshy.

Flower:

Shape.—Five distinct petals with an indent at tip of petal.

Petal shape.—Heart-shaped with a square base; approximately 1.7×1.8 cm.

Lobation.—None.

Diameter.—5.1-5.6 cm when fully opened.

Color.—Unopened stage (the development stage at which the petals haveelongated from the sepals but not yet fully extended and opened): Orange( 22 A); Mature stage: Upper is orange (24A) with a center of red (42A);Lower is orange (24B).

Bud.—Lanceolate shaped; mature bud measures 1.6 cm in length and 0.7 cmin diameter; bud color is yellow-green (145A).

Sepal.—Two sepals; deltoid shaped; measures 1.0 cm in length and 0.9 cmin width; septals are thin, paper-like, smooth and shiny; sepals aretranslucent with green venation.

Habit.—The flowers bloom during midmorning and close at night. Eachflower blooms only once. Flowers are produced throughout the growingseason. The plants produce flowers regardless of day length. Plants canhave 40 to 50 open flowers at one time. There is no fragrance.

Season of bloom.—In zone 9 and similar locations this plant will flowerthroughout the entire year. Growth is less vigorous during the cooltemperatures and short days of winter, but the plant will continue tobloom.

Hardiness.—Plant is heat tolerant; thrives in heat and humidity; plantis not cold tolerant below 7° C.

Reproductive organs.—One orange-red (34A) pistil with five narrow stylebranches and many yellow (17C) stamen with orange-yellow anthers and redfilaments; pollen is orange-red (34A); does not produce seed.

Disease and Insect Resistance

No unusual susceptibilty to diseases or insects have been observed.

Comparison with Other Known Varieties

The new variety is distinguished from other Portulaca plants known toinventor by its flower color, larger flower size and ability to stayopen later into the evening. The closest commercial cultivar that we areaware of is the Portulaca plant named ‘Yubi® Apricot’ (an unpatentedvariety). The distinguishing characteristics, which differentiate‘Summer Joy Orange’ from ‘Yubi® Apricot’, are:

‘Summer Joy Orange’ ‘Yubi ® Apricot’ Flower Diameter 5.1-5.6 cm 4.2-4.7cm Flower Color Orange with a red center Lighter orange Flower ClosingBehavior Open longer in evening Closes earlier in afternoon

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Portulaca plant as shown anddescribed herein.